Provincetown selectmen oppose seashore's highway plan

PROVINCETOWN — A dispute over whether the design of a Route 6 intersection in the Cape Cod National Seashore causes car crashes has sent town officials to their congressional leaders for help.

MARY ANN BRAGG

PROVINCETOWN — A dispute over whether the design of a Route 6 intersection in the Cape Cod National Seashore causes car crashes has sent town officials to their congressional leaders for help.

A redesign of the intersection at Route 6 and Provincelands Road is needed to decrease accidents, smooth a bump in the road, eliminate driver confusion, and reduce liability costs for the Seashore, according to federal officials.

The $800,000 project will simplify an intersection near Herring Cove Beach where the four lanes narrow to two lanes while drivers are attempting to make turns, a Seashore maintenance chief said in early August.

As many as 15 car crashes have occurred at the intersection since 2001, and about half were attributed to the design of the intersection and roadway, Seashore Supt. George Price said yesterday, speaking to the Seashore's advisory commission. In an interview last week, Price cited a 2005 crash in which a vehicle was struck by a second vehicle and rolled over 1½ times before coming to rest on its roof.

But the Provincetown selectmen will ask congressional leaders to put a hold on the project's money because no evidence exists in police records that significant crashes have occurred, said Michele Couture, the selectmen chairwoman.

Both Couture and Selectman Mary-Jo Avellar cited local fears about federal road projects in the Seashore, dating from an attempt more than a decade ago to straighten Race Point Road, as adding to their worries. A local resident has questioned the safety of making the change in the design, and a 300-signature petition brought to Town Hall opposes the redesign as well.

The selectmen would like Seashore officials to spend the money on fixing dangerous spots on bike trails, Couture said. "Why are we wasting federal dollars?"

While the police department has no recent records of motor vehicle crashes at the intersection, the crashes could have been listed as something else in police records, such as mutual aid to a park ranger, said Provincetown police Staff Sgt. Warren Tobias.

Price said he is preparing a more detailed description of the crashes for the selectmen.

The money for the project is not transferable to bike trail repairs and if not spent would be lost to the Seashore, Price said. There is no deadline for spending the money, he said.

Price also questioned why the concerns about the project are just emerging after three years of planning, which included input from town officials and public hearings.

The office of Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass., had not yet received a letter from the Provincetown selectmen, Delahunt aide Mark Forest said on Tuesday. But the congressman's office would speak with the selectmen in detail about the issue and visit the site before crafting a response, Forest added.